What does the 14th Amendment say?

Asked by: Isaac Purdy  |  Last update: November 16, 2025
Score: 4.7/5 (48 votes)

The privilege of United States citizenship is a priceless and profound gift. The Fourteenth Amendment states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.

What does the 14th Amendment mean in simple terms?

The 14th Amendment provides, in part, that no state can "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Title IX specifically prohibits sex discrimination. The 14th Amendment and the Evolution of Title IX.

What does the 14th Amendment have to do with the debt?

Fourteenth Amendment, Section 4: The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned.

What was the controversial word in the 14th Amendment?

Why was the Fourteenth Amendment controversial in women's rights circles? This is because, for the first time, the proposed Amendment added the word "male" into the US Constitution.

What are the 5 major parts of the 14th Amendment?

Moreover, the Fourteenth amendment includes citizenship, state action, privacy rights, apportionment, disqualification for rebellion, debt, and the enforcement clause, among other rights.

What the 14th Amendment says about birthright citizenship

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What are the 3 main protections included in the 14th Amendment?

As the examples above suggest, the rights protected under the Fourteenth Amendment can be understood in three categories: (1) “procedural due process;” (2) the individual rights listed in the Bill of Rights, “incorporated” against the states; and (3) “substantive due process.”

What are the 3 major rights guaranteed by the 14th Amendment?

No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Section 2.

Which president opposed the 14th Amendment?

President Johnson called openly for the rejection of the Fourteenth Amendment, a move that drove a further wedge between him and congressional Republicans. In late summer of 1866, he gave a series of speeches, known as the “swing around the circle,” designed to gather support for his mild version of Reconstruction.

What does article 3 of the 14th Amendment say?

Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment disqualifies those who have already held a public office from holding "any office" if they participate in an "insurrection or rebellion" against the United States. However, since this mechanism has never been used against a president, there are still questions to resolve.

What was the main problem with the 14th Amendment?

Due to judicial and executive inaction, the amendment was not interpreted as anything more than a reiteration of the Thirteenth Amendment's declaration of emancipation for slaves, and it did not guarantee African Americans any civil rights as citizens of the United States.

Who is responsible to pay back all debts in the Constitution?

1 ( The Congress shall have Power . . . to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States . . . . ). Jump to essay-10See Act of Aug.

What does section 5 of the 14th Amendment mean?

Without question, Section Five of the Fourteenth Amendment changed the structure of our federal system. By its terms, this provision plainly vests Congress with the authority necessary to prevent state governments from invading the fundamental rights of the American populace.

Are U.S. States allowed to have debt?

While the federal government can raise money by selling treasury securities, this option is not available to state and local governments. Debt requires approval of the legislature or even the voting public. Another major constraint is the democratic process itself.

Is anyone born in the U.S. a citizen?

For generations, European countries have used mostly bloodlines to determine citizenship. The United States was an exception in the West as one of the last countries to grant citizenship unconditionally to virtually anyone born there.

What is Section 2 of the 14th Amendment?

Section 2 Apportionment of Representation

Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed.

What is roe v wade in simple terms?

Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protected the right to have an abortion.

What does section 4 of the 14th Amendment say?

Section 4 Public Debt

The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned.

Who cannot run for President?

No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident ...

What are three ways the President can be removed from office?

Article II, Section 4: The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

Which president has been impeached?

The presidents impeached by the House were: Andrew Johnson in 1868. William Jefferson (Bill) Clinton in 1998. Donald John Trump in 2019 and 2021.

What Amendment overturned Roe v. Wade?

The Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment protects against state action the right to privacy, and a woman's right to choose to have an abortion falls within that right to privacy. A state law that broadly prohibits abortion without respect to the stage of pregnancy or other interests violates that right.

How many Democrats voted for the 14th Amendment?

Answer and Explanation: No Democrats in Congress voted for the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In the Reconstruction Era after the Civil War, the Democrats were primarily the part of the Southern states and strictly opposed equal rights and guaranteed citizenship for the newly freed slaves.

What Amendment allows Congress to tax income?

Amendment Sixteen to the Constitution was ratified on February 3, 1913. It grants Congress the authority to issue an income tax without having to determine it based on population.

Is the president an officer of the United States?

Regarding the president of the United States. In December 2023, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. president is an officer of the United States as pertains to Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution, reversing a November 2023 contrary ruling by a Colorado district court.

Why was the 14th Amendment considered unsuccessful?

However, the Fourteenth Amendment is often considered unsuccessful because its provisions were not fully protected or enforced. Discrimination by private individuals was not prohibited and the Supreme Court interpreted its powers narrowly.